That means my tacos will represent the United States at the United Nations’ 2016 International Year of Pulses celebrations. (Pulses are beans, lentils and other dried legumes and they were selected based on their significant health, economic and environmental benefits.) Basically, you’ve made this food nerd verrrry happy. Thank you! Thank you to the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council for letting me participate, too.

Since 2016 seems so far away, I thought we’d celebrate today with some more tacos! These are inspired by some that I ordered last week at my friend’s bachelorette party. I was sitting next to my college roommates, sipping my cocktail very slowly, and feeling sappy about how grown-up we are now.

The waiter came by and I ordered some quinoa tacos, hoping that they would be hearty enough to fill me up. They were, fortunately, and they were so tasty that I had to recreate them at home right away.

The quinoa and black bean filling takes cues from traditional ground beef fillings, but offers lots of plant-based protein and fiber. I couldn’t resist topping it with a generous spread of creamy, tangy avocado sauce and some romaine lettuce for some requisite crunch. To really make the flavors pop, add a few pickled jalapeños and/or crumbled feta cheese.

Perhaps the best part is that these tacos are ready in 30 minutes. I hope they are a new weeknight favorite for you, too!

To make the filling, warm the olive oil in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic with a dash of salt for 4 to 5 minutes, until the onions are softened and turning translucent. Add the tomato paste, cumin and chili powder and sauté for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup broth or water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess liquid and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Stir in the drained black beans and add salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and set aside for a couple of minutes to warm up the beans.

To make the avocado sauce: Simply combine the ingredients as listed in a food processor or blender. Blend well and season with salt, to taste.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the tortillas in a single layer, flipping halfway. Wrap the warmed tortillas with a lint-free tea towel until ready to serve. To assemble the tacos, spread quinoa and black bean filling down the center of the tortilla, then top with a generous drizzle of avocado crema, a handful of chopped romaine and any additional garnishes you’d like to add. Eat up!

Notes

Recipe inspired by Picasso Cafe in Oklahoma City and adapted from my roasted cauliflower and lentil tacos and southwestern kale power salad.Make it vegan/dairy free: Just don't add cheese!Make it gluten free: Be sure to use certified gluten-free corn tortillas.Make it tomato free: Skip the tomato paste. Storage suggestions: Store individual components separately. Press plastic wrap against the surface of the avocado sauce to prevent oxidation. Warm the tortillas and filling just before serving, then top with avocado sauce and chopped romaine. Love this recipe? Check out more taco recipes here!

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Did you make this recipe?

Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #cookieandkate!

These look so good, I *almost* regret buying the ingredients for your cauliflower and lentil tacos earlier today.
I just started reading your blog and I’ve already made 3 recipes from it. I keep finding more to try and I am going to add these to the list!

Well Congrats! I think I’m probably your number one fan of that lentil/cauliflower taco recipe. I’ve made it countless times. It deserves its honor! Kate, Kate, Kate, you’ve done it again with this recipe. It’s another WINNER! Made it tonight and we chomped down more than we should’ve. Husband said to make sure I save this recipe ;) The best part is that I had everything already so no need for a special trip to the store. Doubled the recipe (so glad I did!), and now I have a little left over for tomorrow :) Simple, quick and bursting with unimaginable yumminess ;) Thank you!!

Congratulations Kate! Those tacos were a winner from the first bite! And these ones are similarly praise-worthy! I cannot wait to make these, and I love that they are weeknight friendly :)
Also, all bachelorette parties should include tacos and cocktails, isn’t it in the ‘lady rule book’ somewhere ;)

Yay! Woohoo! I’m so glad you won! I was hoping you would! I was going to vote, but I couldn’t since I don’t have Facebook. :( But I am a big fan of yours, so I’m super geeking out right now that you actually won. :D

Hi Kate! I love your tacos, literally all of them :) Sadly, acid reflux has lately demanded I stop eating pretty much any tomato product :( Any ideas for a good substitute for tomato paste that will still have a similar end-texture result? Appreciate any thoughts! Thanks for your wonderful blog!

Hey Kelsey! I’m sorry for my delay and sorry to hear that you have to avoid tomato products! You can skip the tomato paste altogether. I think the tacos will still be great without it, albeit not tomato-y.

Congrats! Way to rep the US at the UN 2016 International Year of Pulses Celebration. I’ve never had tacos with quinoa before, but I like how quinoa kind of mimics the texture of ground meat. Thanks for making a veggie taco recipe that I can give to meat-lovers :)

These were pretty much perfect. I love your sweet potato and black bean tacos, but these are much more manageable for a weeknight. I mixed the leftover taco filling into scrambled eggs for a breakfast burrito the next day. Thanks for a total keeper!

Holy Guacamole these are good! My 4 yr old and 1 yr old even ate it! I just found out about your website and will definitely be making more of your recipes after this homerun. Thank you for making healthy taste good! Love from Texas!

Let me start by saying I love that Kate’s recipes are vegetarian friendly and find that a lot of my pins lead me to her site!

Anywho, I made the quinoa and black bean tacos this morning. They came out delicious and something I rarely find with plant-based eating, I was full. I must admit I am a heavy-handed chef, but I found that this meal has a great balance of flavors. Some ways I adapted the recipe were:

-I used smoked paprika and chipotle chilli powder (instead of chili powder) as an additional spice when preparing the black beans and quinoa. This gave the beans and quinoa a smoky flavor, reminiscent of BBQ. Damn good!—Did I mention I’m from Texas. Um, yep.

-I did not use a food processor for the avocado sauce, thus it was just guac. I prefer chunky to liquid. It turned out delicious.

Oh yum, Kate! Just got back from a family trip and I’m catching up on all of my favorite blogs. You’ve got so much good stuff posted lately, although you always do. :) Looking forward to trying this one!

Wow, Kate, I do not even know how I came across your website, but I decided to subscribe and save it, because everything looked good. I have just made this recipe and it is so good, even my meat lover husband was impressed.
I have filling left, I think you could easily fill 10 tacos with it. Which is great, because I do not have to think about my lunch for tomorrow ;)
BTW, love your dog!

Made these last night, took a chance and doubled the recipe so we’d have enough leftover for lunches for a couple days – LOVED them! Even my carnivore husband said they were really good. He’s pretty picky and swears he doesn’t like quinoa, but he ate 3 tacos without complaints ;)

These are amazing, especially the avocado sauce, my husband and I could not get enough. Super quick and easy too, very helpful when you have a 7 month old:) I just stumbled across your blog and am so grateful, you have so many fresh and delicious sounding recipes. Tomorrow we’ll be trying the lentil-chickpea burgers, mmmm can’t wait!

We really enjoyed this recipe, and were pleased to find one more way to add some healthy quinoa to our dinner.

We used red quinoa – and topped it with garden-fresh, diced tomatoes.

Initially, if was kinda’ soupy, after the :05 min sit. I threw it back on the burner & within a few mins it thickened up nicely. I added the black beans, gave it a stir & then let it sit for another :05 min (covered). In the end, if pactually looked like your photograph above. Voila!

Thanks, and we’ll continue coming by for more great recipes, and continue giving your site to friends & family.

Checked your instagram hashtag in a different part of your blog and realized it had an exclamation point at the end. You should be able to find my photo now, I added the e-point. Thought you were just being enthusiastic where you say “share a photo on instagram with hashtag #cookieandkate!”.

Hi Kate! I’m so not a vegetarian, but me and my hubby like to have a meatless meal at least once a week, and my friend introduced me to your blog. I have yet to try a recipe, but I’m just absolutely drooling at all of your pictures! I cannot wait to try so many of these! Actually, me and my girl friends are doing a cooking lesson next week and we are trying to decide which one of your recipes to make :) Thanks for all of these healthy meal ideas!

My husband, a card-carrying carnivore, recently decided we were going to eat vegetarian for dinner a couple nights a week. I tried out this recipe last night and he DEVOURED it!! The only change I made was I added the black beans in with the quinoa so they’d cook a little bit more so I added more broth. Thank you for this recipe, I’m off to check out your other ones for future dinner ideas!

This is one of my favorite dishes ever! Followed the instructions (first time ever was not inspired to change anything) and enjoyed a yummy dinner with my partner, twice now. He loved it as well! Thanks for sharing and good luck! :)

I’ve just made these and o-m-g, they left my sister and I speechless! I added some diced red bell pepper because I had a half pepper left over in my fridge and I think it really added something, but I’m convinced they would have been as good without the bell pepper.
All your recipes look so good, I just love your blog (and your dog!). I tried out your pineapple fried rice last night (I tagged you on Instagram, I’m @allanwinberg) and we loved it too, thank you so much and keep up your good work!

Oh man, you should see how many recipes I saved from your blog yesterday. I’m bored by what I’ve been cooking and have been leaning towards more seeds and legumes these days. I whipped these up and topped it with your simple seedy slaw and it was DIVINE! I made 3 filled-to-the-brim tacos and was stuffed. My man could only eat two they were so filling.

The beans I used were canned so they lacked a bit of punch. Next time, I’ll go for fresh ones.

I made these tacos for my carnivorous boyfriend: he was blown away by how simultaneously healthy and flavorful they were. I used a spicy tomato-based salsa instead of tomato paste–highly recommend this variation. These will absolutely become a weeknight staple. Great recipe.

Perfection! As suggested by others, I added a bit of smoked paprika and chipotle chili powder. I broke in my tortilla press and the corn tortillas were so easy. Served pico de gallo on the side and your Seedy Slaw (which I loved, but hubby prefers the creamy variety…luckily I only dressed the slaw we were eating right away). I do want to try your Cauliflower Lentil Tacos but these are so wonderful, I fear I will not want to try anything else! Thank you! Will post photo on Instagram.

I’ve already commented before but I need to say again that I’m obsessed with these tacos. My 2 & 5 year olds are obsessed too. I turn them into quesadillas for them. My 5 year old said tonight “Mommy thank you for dinner, these are SO YUMMY yummy yummy, i love them and i love you!”, i mean come on – can’t get a better review than that! Thank you thank you!! xo

I made this the other week for two non-vegetarians and they loved it. It was pretty easy to make, but I found the quiona/black bean ratio was a little too quinoa so next time I make it (this week) I’m going to add less quiona or more black beans. 9/10

I have been secretly making recipes from your blog for a while and EVERY SINGLE RECIPE I’ve tried has been AMAZING! And, now these tacos! Even my husband who looooves meat prefers these over meat tacos.The one thing I’ve missed the most since becoming vegetarian is good Mexican food, but these tacos (and the cauliflower and brown lentil tacos) are so delicious and easy to make.

These tacos were absolutely delicious!!! Especially the avacado cream on top. My boyfriend is a gluten free vegan so these were perfect!!! We made them twice last week. Thanks for such a delicious recipe!